Visiting an old friend...

I try a lot of new beers each year. The first thing I do at a bar or a package store (New England lingo for beer store) is to check to see if they have anything that I have not tried in the past. As I have mentioned in other posts, this can sometimes be hit or miss. However, since I try so many new beers I often neglect some of my all time favorites.

Tonight I visited an old friend, Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock. I first tried this beer when I was 17--it was the first truly great beer I had ever tasted. It is a phenomenal beer and in my opinion the best Double Bock beer in the world. It pours to a rich dark brown/mahogany color and has an amazing sweet chocolate and bready malt aroma. This beer is 6.7% abv, but ridiculously smooth and drinkable, with a buttery, toffee flavor at finish. Hints of molasses and roasted nuts are balanced by a nice bitter hop tingle. Although $2.99 per bottle may seem expensive, it is worth every penny. I have to remind myself to buy this beer more often--it is always a good idea to go back to those old standards, especially the ones that set the mark for the style.